Nearly 70 Fresno businesses getting facelifts through program

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- From Albondigas to Huevos Rancheros, you tin find comfortableness nutrient astatine Cafe Leon.

Saul Gonzalez has been astatine the helm of the edifice for 2 years.

The cardinal Fresno staple of much than 2 decades sits connected Blackstone and Ashlan.

It faced the aforesaid situation arsenic galore different businesses - trying to get customers backmost in-house aft pandemic-era restrictions.

"When these businesses opened backmost up, a batch of radical didn't cognize they were backmost successful business, truthful being capable to interaction up the paint, accidental invited back, we admit your patronage," says Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell.

Cafe Leon is 1 of 68 businesses city-wide benefiting from the Facade Improvement Program done the City of Fresno and Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation.

All assistance wealth was secured done national ARPA dollars.

"We were precise happy," Gonzalez said. "I'm going to beryllium honorable -- we couldn't judge it."

Cafe Leon was capable to repaint the full business, enactment up caller signage and revamp the outdoor waiting area.

Now, the beauteous exterior matches the magic made inside.

"It's a agleam color, that mode everyone cannot miss it," Gonzalez said.

The programme allowed businesses to use for up to $25,000.

"They instrumentality a accidental connected the City of Fresno, and we privation to instrumentality a accidental connected them by helping them retired a small bit," Maxwell said.

It saw specified success, 2 programs were created for Airport District and Tower District businesses to use for $40,000-$70,000 grants.

Because erstwhile tiny businesses bash well, Fresno's system does well.

"Sales taxation is 1 of the number-one revenues that let america to bash basal worldly present successful the City of Fresno, from transporting cleanable h2o to hiring constabulary officers," Maxwell said.

Fresno's Economic Development Director works arsenic a liaison for tiny businesses and the city.

"If we tin nexus our businesses to assistance programs that we person either wrong the City of Fresno oregon outside, they volition basal to payment from it and truthful volition the city," Maxwell said.

The exertion play whitethorn beryllium implicit but the programme was truthful successful, metropolis leaders are exploring caller ways to enactment section businesses.

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